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§ Private Profile · Ottawa, IL, USA
Investment firm (auto-created from funding round data)
Obol Labs builds infrastructure for the Ethereum economy, focusing on Distributed Validator Technology (DVT). Its core product enables multiple parties to collaboratively operate an Ethereum validator, distributing cryptographic keys and responsibilities. This enhances network security and resilience by mitigating single points of failure, fostering a decentralized proof-of-stake ecosystem.
Founded in 2021 by Collin Myers and Oisín Kyne, Obol Labs addresses centralization risks in Ethereum staking. They observed concentrated validation power among large entities. Their insight was to develop a protocol-level solution for distributed key management, improving network fault tolerance and bolstering blockchain security.
Obol's technology serves diverse Ethereum participants, from individual stakers to institutional operators prioritizing security and uptime. The company envisions its technology as a foundation for the evolving Ethereum economy, supporting traditional staking and applications like AI agents that require distributed validation.
Obol Labs has raised $13.0M across 1 funding round.
Obol Labs has raised $13.0M in total across 1 funding round.
# Obol Labs: Distributed Validator Infrastructure for Ethereum
Obol Labs is not an investment firm, but rather an R&D development team and infrastructure provider focused on proof-of-stake blockchain technology.[1][2] The company builds Distributed Validator Technology (DVT) that enables multiple participants to share control over a single Ethereum validator, addressing centralization risks in proof-of-stake consensus.[5] Rather than managing capital for external returns, Obol develops open-source and commercial infrastructure that allows institutions, node operators, and individual stakers to participate more securely and decentrally in Ethereum staking while earning rewards.[2][4]
The core mission centers on democratizing access to Ethereum staking yield through trust-minimized, multi-operator validation systems.[3] This positions Obol as a critical piece of infrastructure in the Ethereum economy, with its Distributed Validators currently securing billions of dollars in value.[4]
Obol Labs was founded in 2021 and is based in Ottawa, Illinois.[1][2] The company emerged from research into proof-of-stake infrastructure challenges, specifically the centralization risks posed by single-operator validators. The founding team, including Collin Myers as founder, recognized that standard validators create single points of failure and centralizing pressures on blockchain networks.[5]
The company has grown to a team of approximately 20 members spread globally.[3] Early traction came through partnerships with respected crypto infrastructure players and investors, including Pantera Capital, Coinbase Ventures, The Spartan Group, Delphi Ventures, and Figment Capital, which collectively backed the project with $17.5M in funding.[5] The company raised an additional $12.5M in Series A funding, bringing total capital raised to $18.75M.[2]
Obol addresses a fundamental challenge in proof-of-stake blockchain security: the tension between decentralization and operational efficiency. As Ethereum and other PoS networks scale, validator centralization threatens network resilience. Obol's DVT technology directly counters this trend by making decentralized validation economically and operationally viable for a broader set of participants.
The timing is critical. With institutional adoption of Ethereum staking accelerating and Layer 2 solutions and actively validated services (AVSs) proliferating, demand for secure, decentralized validator infrastructure is expanding rapidly.[4] Obol's positioning as infrastructure-layer middleware means it benefits from growth across multiple segments of the Ethereum economy—not just base-layer staking, but also L2s, AVSs, and RPC networks.[4]
The company's influence extends beyond its direct products. By enabling smaller operators to compete with large staking providers, Obol helps preserve the decentralization ethos that underpins blockchain value propositions.
Obol Labs is well-positioned to become foundational infrastructure in the Ethereum ecosystem. The company's focus on solving genuine technical and economic problems—validator centralization and accessibility—aligns with long-term network health priorities. The introduction of the OBOL token signals evolution toward a governance and incentive layer, with future utilities potentially including staking liquidity pools and lending protocols.[5]
Key trends to watch: continued institutional adoption of Ethereum staking, the maturation of restaking protocols like EigenLayer, and regulatory clarity around validator operations. Each of these tailwinds could accelerate demand for Obol's infrastructure. The company's challenge will be maintaining technical leadership while scaling operations to serve both institutional and decentralized operator segments simultaneously.
Obol Labs has raised $13.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $13.0M Series A in January 2023.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2023 | $13M Series A | Archetype, Pantera Capital | Beenext, Dragonfly Capital, Factor Capital, Fifth Wall, Griffin Gaming Partners, Hashed, ParaFi Capital, Polygon Labs, Square PEG Capital, Anna Yuan, Balaji Srinivasan, Kunal Shah, Nitish Mittersain, BlockTower Capital, Coinbase Ventures, Ethereal Ventures, IEX Fund, Nascent, Placeholder, Spartan | Announced |
Obol Labs has raised $13.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Obol Labs's investors include Archetype, Pantera Capital, BEENEXT, Dragonfly Capital Partners, Factor Capital, Fifth Wall, Griffin Gaming Partners, Hashed, ParaFi Capital, Polygon, Square Peg Capital, Anna Yuan.